Clearlake, CA

By Bryan WalshFriday, Sept. 30, 2011

County of Lake

Maybe it makes sense that Clearlake  a bucolic town in northern California  has one of the few school boards in the U.S. with a Green Party member. The air in this community of 15,000 people is about as pure as it gets in the U.S.  and stands in stark contrast to the smog valley of southern California. Ironically, the actual Clear Lake itself is heavily contaminated with mercury, thanks to a nearby abandoned mine. But I guess you can't have everything.